Thanks to the rising cost of fuel and supply chain hiccups caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East, some companies are passing those higher costs onto customers.
Some companies are issuing new fees, while others are implementing changes that aren’t so clear to the consumer.
“Companies tend to look for ways to get more out of what they already have first, like packing more into each shipment or combining orders into a single delivery,” Rahul Shahani, a partner at McKinsey leading the company’s North American supply chain practice, told CNN.
“Over time, those higher costs still show up in subtle ways like higher free shipping minimums, fewer discounts, smaller package sizes, or slower delivery.”
According to the Argus US Jet Fuel Index, published by Airlines for America, jet fuel has increased by 95% since the start of the war.
Here is where customers will feel the fuel surcharges.
Amazon
Amazon announced a “fuel- and logistics-related surcharge” of 3.5% for third-party sellers that use the platform’s shipping and return services.
“Elevated costs in fuel and logistics have increased the cost of operating across the industry. We have absorbed these increased costs so far,” the announcement said. “However, similar to other major carriers, when costs remain elevated, we implement temporary surcharges on our fulfillment fees to recover a portion of the actual cost increases we are experiencing.”
Starting April 17, the surcharge will be applied to fulfillment fees across Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) in the US and Canada, as well as Remote Fulfillment with FBA from the US into Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
The surcharge will take affect for Buy with Prime in the US and Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) in the US and Canada starting May 2.
“Due to the work we have already done together to lower costs, this surcharge is meaningfully lower than other major carriers,” Amazon said.
USPS
The US Postal Service announced on March 25 that it would implement its first-ever fuel surcharge, which they said is a “limited-time price change to better align its costs of transportation with the market.”
The planned change is an 8% increase and will only apply to packages, not mail. The base postage prices will be affected for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select.
The price change is set to go into effect at midnight Central Time on April 26 and will remain in place until midnight Central Time on Jan. 17, 2027. At that point, “the Postal Service can determine if a different long-term approach is needed.”
“We have steadfastly avoided surcharges and this charge is less than one-third of what our competitors charge for fuel alone, so even with this change, the Postal Service continues to offer great value in shipping with some of the lowest rates in the industrialized world,” the USPS said in a press release.
UPS
The UPS implemented an International Ground Export Import Fuel Surcharge, effective March 2, 2026.
The surcharge, based on the National U.S. Average On-Highway Diesel Fuel Price, will be adjusted weekly and will be effective on Monday of each week.
As of April 6, UPS implemented a domestic ground surcharge of 27%, domestic air surcharge of 30.75%, international air export surcharge of 35.5%, international air important surcharge of 40.25%, and international ground export import surcharge of 25.25%.
FedEx
FedEx has implemented a 26.5% package and air freight fuel surcharge as of April 6, based on the national average for a gallon of diesel on March 30 and weekly jet fuel prices as of March 27.
The surcharge rates apply to FedEx Ground, FedEx Home Delivery, FedEx International Ground Services and pickup services.
Maersk
Maersk has added additional fees to offset oil prices as well as the higher costs associated with sourcing and covering longer routes.
The company said they “have seen no other alternative” than to implemented a temporary Emergency Bunker Surcharge (EBS), which covers the impact of fuel availability, cost and mix outside of what’s already covered in the Fossil Fuel Fee (FFF).
“This means we are better positioned to have the necessary access to fuel and the ability to move it to necessary locations,” the announcement said.
The EBS applied globally as of March 25, though the EBS for bookings under the FMC scope will take effect as of April 9.
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